


Starting from Zero

by Anonymous



Series: 101 Psychics [1]
Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person Limited, Past Tense, Psychic Abilities, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-05-16 23:06:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14820647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Jaehwan takes the plunge to begin a new life; he moves to the city — and attempts to start up a paranormal detective agency.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set in a fictional universe, in a fictional country and in a fictional city.

Jaehwan put the suitcase in the car, then took one last look at the house he had lived in his entire life. In all honesty, he was going to miss this place, but it was time to let go.

From now on, he was all on his own; an independent man, at last. But for some reason, it was scary to take this big leap on his own.

“Do you want to visit the cemetery before we leave?”

The man in the driver’s seat stared up at him.

Jaehwan shrugged.

“Nah, it’s already evening. I don’t want to encounter any spirits while they’re restless.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded.

“Hmm, alright. You’re welcome to stay at my family’s place if you feel like visiting again.”

“Thanks, Jisung.”

It was just an excuse. Jisung probably knew, which is why he didn’t push any further.

Jaehwan just didn’t want to cry anymore.

He stepped into the car.

“Ready?” Jisung said.

“Yeah.”

Then, without saying any more, they drove off the property.

The move wasn’t a decision made on a whim; all of his life Jaehwan knew that he wouldn’t want to live in a rural area, in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. The only thing that had held him back here was his mother, who was very ill. As the only child of his parents, Jaehwan had spent the early years of his adulthood taking care of her instead of setting out to live his own life. Hiring a caretaker would have made things easier, but he didn’t want to stray from her side — in case she would pass away. Jaehwan knew he would hate himself for the rest of his life if he wasn’t around during her last moments. His mother felt guilty about keeping Jaehwan in the country, but he insisted on staying around. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable and not lonely. It was all he could do for her and his late father.

He had made the right decision; death took her suddenly.

Not even a trace of her spirit was found in the house. 

Jaehwan had hoped she would linger for a little while, but deep within he knew it was for the best. Sending her spirit off would have been an even more painful experience, so he felt relieved that she left on her own terms.

After the funeral, Jaehwan sold his family’s possessions — gold, jewels, the house and the land they owned. He only kept the invaluable items to himself.

A month had passed since then.

It pained him to leave it all behind, but at the same time he no longer wanted to live in a place with so many memories of his parents. 

Most of those memories, were good memories. Jaehwan was lucky to say that he had a nice childhood. Like their ancestors, his parents were able to live comfortably. His father hailed from a line of famous exorcists, and his mother was born in a family of wealthy merchants.

Despite his special ability, or rather because of it, his family was respected in the small community. Jaehwan and his father belonged to a branch that were cut off from the temple branch centuries ago. For some reason, this branch had stopped producing children with special abilities. 

At least, until Jaehwan came into the picture.

It was rather silly, but that’s how the respect to Kim family was restored in the community.

Jisung broke the silence in the car.

“You know, it’s a pity.”

“What’s a pity?”

“You could have become part of the temple.”

Jaehwan sighed.

“I told you I’m not interested.”

“Well, my parents would have welcomed you with open arms,” Jisung said, then quietly added, “and I’ve always wanted a little brother.”

“No thanks. I’d rather stay a Kim than become a Yoon.”

Jisung frowned.

“What’s wrong with Yoon?”

“I never said there’s anything wrong with it. It just feels... strange,” Jaehwan said. “Besides, I’m destined to do bigger things. A temple in the middle of nowhere won’t do.”

“...Right.”

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Just so you know, there isn’t anyone else in the car.”

Jisung sighed loudly. 

“I don’t know!”

“Are you going to wait until that old man of yours succumbs to old age—” Jaehwan said, “because that’s going to take a _long_ time.”

Unlike the Kim family, their distant Yoon relatives were blessed with good health.

Jisung groaned. 

“I just can’t seem to convince him to leave me in charge of the temple.”

“Hmm.”

The car fell into silence again.

Jaehwan looked out of the window. He rubbed his sweaty hands against his trousers.

“Then come with me.”

A pause.

“What?”

“Your dad told you to get more practical experience, so why don’t you get out?”

“...And where exactly would I start?”

“That’s why I’m telling you to come with me,” Jaehwan said.

Suddenly, the car slowed down.

“Jisung?”

Jisung parked the car on the side of the road, then turned to look at him with a piercing gaze.

“What are you trying to say?”

Jaehwan smiled. “It’s exactly as you think.”

His friend’s jaw dropped.

Jaehwan watched his expression.

Mixed emotions.

“You’re trying to get me involved in that silly business idea of yours,” Jisung said.

He twitched his eyebrow.

“Silly? In what way?”

“It’s overly ambitious!” he said, throwing up his hands.

Jaehwan folded his arms. “It’s perfectly doable. I’ve got a good business sense, you know!”

“Well, I don’t deny that... But where will you even find candidates who’ll match your requirements? Spiritual affinity or psychic abilities are one thing, but good looks...”

“Well, there’s one here,” Jaehwan said, then pointed at his friend. “And then there’s you.”

Jisung rolled his eyes. “Really... _Now_ you’re complimenting me?”

“So how about it, Jisung? Both of us will have to start somewhere. It’s even better if we can do it together.”

Jisung turned his head. He stared into the distance, still processing this information.

“Well...” he said, “I’ll think about it.”

Jaehwan smiled.

It made him happy to hear that his friend was taking it into consideration.

“Really?”

“I just never thought you’d ask. Ask for help, I mean.”

“Yeah...”

Jaehwan remembered how Jisung insisted on helping out with moving houses and the paperwork. He usually preferred taking care of his own matters alone, but it also felt good to have someone around who could support him. Jaehwan wondered how he would have fared without Jisung. 

His friend had filled the empty house was incessant talking, which prevented Jaehwan from breaking down every other hour. It made Jaehwan appreciate Jisung’s presence in his life, otherwise he would have felt so much lonelier.

“Let’s talk about this later,” Jisung said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s go then.”

The car started up again.

Hours later, they arrived at their destination. 

An exhausted Jisung parked the car in front of the new apartment.

After getting out of the car, Jaehwan shouted:

“Ah, at last. Wanna City, the city of dreams and hope!”

He was ready to sprint into the building, but Jisung let out a loud groan.

“Can we _please_ get something to eat first? I’m starving.”

Jaehwan turned on his heel, grinned widely.

“Of course! We’re conveniently in District One of Wanna City,” he said, “and that’s where all the good food’s at. So take your pick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At a risk of sounding like total newb, I have to admit that this is my first Wanna One/K-pop/RPF fic _ever_. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not really sure what I'm doing right now, so please go easy on me. Yes, please, thank you.
> 
> FYI this fanfic will have one or two more chapters, but... there's more to the story overall. I'd like to update in short instalments - standalone stories - rather than one big fic. As for ships, I'm not going to be too adventurous, I'm more of a gen/friendship writer, actually. 2Park maybe, Minhwan, perhaps? But that's for later.
> 
> For now, let me know what you think so far in the comments (or give me a thumbs up via kudos).


	2. Chapter 2

“When I asked for a meal, I wasn’t expecting a _five_ course dinner.”

“Hey, don’t complain. It was delicious, right?”

“I’m not complaining — and yes, it was delicious,” Jisung said, “But I just don’t see the point of splurging so much money on food.”

“Oh come on!” Jaehwan cackled out loud. It came out softly at first, but steadily developed into that typical laugh sound that Jisung hadn’t heard in ages. “At least let me thank you for driving me all the way here. You deserve it.”

Jisung couldn’t help but feel unsettled by the smile on Jaehwan’s face.

“Hmm, okay. I suppose that’s a good enough of a reason.”

“Right?”

Jisung could only sigh in response.

They had just left the restaurant and were now heading back to the apartment.

Jaehwan continued, “By the way, you must know where to get any cheap and good food around here.”

Jisung nodded.

He graduated from Wanna City University a few years ago.

“There are plenty of cheap options in District Two,” he said. “but I don’t know if my favorites are still around.”

“Oh, show me around then! Maybe we can grab a drink or something.”

“Now?”

It was dark already, and Jisung was getting tired.

“It’s close by, so why not?”

Jisung sighed again.

“Ugh, alright. Just a drink or two.”

They headed into the direction of District Two, with Jisung leading the way.

Walking downtown felt strangely nostalgic. Not a whole lot had changed while he was gone.

They had almost arrived, when Jaehwan suddenly stopped.

“Wait,” he said.

“Hm?”

Jaehwan was pointing at something on the other side.

“Take a look at that.”

Jisung looked at the building across the street.

He remembered looking at it often during his commute. It stood out because the building had a very peculiar shape. The two wings were diagonally joined at the center building. Jisung remembered it was a hotel or a cafe of sorts, but now it looked decidedly dark and empty.

“Pretty ugly, isn’t it?” Jaehwan said.

Indeed, at daylight it stood out with its dark bricks in the midst of the buildings with clean and modern-looking architecture.

“Yeah, but it has a interesting shape,” Jisung said. “That’s why this street is called Boomerang Street. It’s one of the oldest buildings around here.”

Jaehwan blinked.

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, now you know.”

“I’ve heard rumors that it’s going on sale soon.”

“Oh, so it’s going on sale...” Jisung said. “Good luck to whoever’s selling it.”

He could only wonder which idiot would even bother to buy this hideous thing. From the looks of it, a renovation was necessary. It also meant the seller didn’t have enough money to renovate it themself.

But why did Jaehwan bother pointing it out....

Jisung side-eyed his friend.

“...What do you mean ‘it’s going on sale’?”

For some reason, Jaehwan was staring at the building with twinkling eyes.

“Nothing,” he said with a suspicious smile.

“Really?” Jisung said. “Because I don’t believe a word of it. Do you have ANY idea how much it will cost to buy this property, let alone renovate it completely? I know your family was pretty well off, but even you can’t afford something like this—” To his immense exasperation, his friend’s attention had wandered. It didn’t look like he was paying attention to Jisung’s words. “Hey, are you even listening?”

Jaehwan pointed again. This time at the door.

“Look at that, hyung.”

“What?”

“Do you see those guys over there?”

Indeed, two figures were huddled at the doorstep, as if asleep.

“Vagrants? It looks like they’re sleeping.”

“Nah. They don’t look like homeless folks.”

Jisung squinted at entrance.

The sleeping figures seemed to be a young men around their age. One of them was clearly asleep; Jisung could make out fiery red hair — likely dyed — peeking out from his hoodie. The one sitting next to him seemed rather elegant and almost princely. Both of them looked too well-dressed and clean to be homeless.

“See?”

“You’re right,” Jisung said. “One of them looks like a young master of rich household.”

“You’re saying I’m not?”

Jaehwan began to cross the street, leaving Jisung behind.

“Wait! What are you doing?”

“Let’s have a talk with the guy who’s awake!”

Jisung let out a labored sigh.

“But why...”

Nevertheless, he followed Jaehwan across the road.

The ‘young master’ noticed their looming presence. Unlike the other, it didn’t seem like he had been sleeping at all. By the frown on his face Jisung wondered if he was willing to talk to them.

Jaehwan didn’t seem perturbed. His tone was casual, almost overly so.

“Yo, can I ask you something?”

“...Yes?”

“Is it true that this building is going on sale soon?”

The man frowned.

“Why are you asking me? Go to a real estate agent.”

“Well, that’s the problem,” Jaehwan said. “I’ve asked around already and told them to call me if it’s going to be put on sale, but so far — zip, nada.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “You’re basing this off rumors...”

Jisung smiled nervously behind his friend. That was indeed the case.

“I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend that the owner of this building is planning to put it on sale within a few weeks,” Jaehwan said, and pointed a hand at the dark windows. “And it looks like no one’s living and using this place.”

“A friend of a friend of a friend?” The young master stood up. “Who are they?”

“I’ll tell you their names if you tell me who you are and what you are doing here.” Jaehwan smiled.

Jisung sensed clear discomfort from the stranger.

“It doesn’t look like he has anything to tell us. I think we should go...”

However, to his surprised, the man sighed, and gave into Jaehwan’s request.

“Hwang Minhyun.”

“Huh?”

“Just call me Minhyun,” he said, then pointed at the sleeping man beside him. “And my friend here is Ha Sungwoon.”

“Alright. So you’re hanging out in front of an abandoned building for fun, or what?”

“...Not exactly.”

It sounded somewhat suspicious.

“You’re not going to break in, or something like that?” Jisung said

Minhyun snorted at that suggestion.

“Not at all. I am here to meet with someone,” Minhyun said. “Now please, who is that friend who told you about this?”

Jisung and Jaehwan exchanged looks.

Minhyun is meeting up with someone?

“A guy named Daniel,” Jaehwan said. “Does it ring a bell?”

“No?”

Jisung blinked. “It was Daniel who told you?”

“Yeah,” Jaehwan said.

Minhyun tilted his head.

“So who is this Daniel?”

“He’s one of the juniors I met at a reunion at the university last year,” Jisung explained.

Daniel was a student who had been working as a waiter during the reunion. Jisung found out that Daniel was of the same age as Jaehwan, who was planning to enroll into the same university.

“We hit it off well, so I introduced him to Jaehwan.”

“Jaehwan?”

“That’s me. Kim Jaehwan.”

“I see.” Minhyun nodded, then looked at the sleeping Sungwoon with a deep frown. “Could it be that Sungwoon...“

“What about him?” Jisung said.

Minhyun shook his head.

“Nothing much.”

Jaehwan folded his arms.

“It sounds like you do have something to do with the sale.”

“Well, yes... I’m supposed to be in charge of that,” Minhyun finally admitted. “This property was passed down to my parents a few months ago ago, but they would rather sell than keep it.”

“But it’s not on sale yet?”

Minhyun grimaced.

“There’s someone who wants to buy it, but I’d rather not sell it to him.”

“You have something against that person?”

He shrugged.

“That’s none of your business.”

Jaehwan smirked, daringly.

“What if I tell you that I want to buy it?”

Minhyun’s eyes widened. “You?”

“Yeah.”

Minhyun stared at Jisung in disbelief.

“Is he for real?”

Jisung expressed a nervous smile.

“...I’m not sure.”

Jaehwan stepped forward.

“Hey, why are you asking Jisung? I’m dead serious here!”

“You don’t look like someone who’s swimming in money,” Minhyun said, instantly earning a glare from the other. “Well? Do you have any idea how much this property costs? If you weren’t aware, we’re in a prime location — District One of Wanna City. And you must have noticed that this building is in need of a renovation—”

Minhyun stopped talking when Jaehwan had obviously stopped paying attention to his rant and instead was staring at Sungwoon.

“By the way, I’ve been wondering, but what has your friend been doing there?” Jaehwan said.

Jisung rolled his eyes almost to the back of his head out of embarassment.

What in the world was Jaehwan doing?

Minhyun was clearly irritated at Jaehwan’s lack of attention span, and attitude in general, but he still replied.

“Sleeping.”

It was an obvious answer, but, Jaehwan didn’t respond to Minhyun’s answer. For some reason he kept staring at Sungwoon.

Jisung looked at Minhyun, who seemed similarly confused by Jaehwan sudden attention on his friend.

“So, uh. Is your friend keeping you company until your meeting partner arrives?” Jisung said. “Is it the guy you don’t like?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Well, if you are meeting up soon, then—”

“Jisung, I’m still talking to him! Keep out of the conversation—”

“Then don’t just suddenly stare at that guy!”

A groan came from below.

“Oh, your friend is waking up!”

Jaehwan’s eyes lit up. He scurried over and loomed over Sungwoon.

“What are you doing?” Minhyun said, pushing Jaehwan aside. “Don’t bother him!”

“Hey— What’s going on?”

Sungwoon stared up at the two in confusion, and then at Jaehwan.

“Minhyun. Is this the guy you’re supposed to meet?”


End file.
